Five Questions the Ducks Must Answer

1. Who will win the starting goaltender job? This could get complicated depending on what happens in training camp and beyond, or it could remain status quo for at least the early part of the season. Jean-Sebastien Giguere (right) seeks to reclaim the No.1 role after a forgettable 2008-09 season that was effected by the death of his father in December. Jonas Hiller is out to prove he deserves the role after he backstopped the Ducks to a 10-2-1 finish to the regular season and first-round upset of San Jose. If Giguere doesn't return to form, the Ducks are stuck with his $6 million contract and his no-trade clause. If Giguere comes back strong (and even if he doesn't), the Ducks eventually have to evaluate their long-term commitment to Hiller, who is set to become a free agent after this season.

2. Will the additions of Joffrey Lupul and Saku Koivu boost secondary scoring? One would think so. Lupul is a proven winger, having been a three-time 20-goal scorer, including 28 during his first stint with the Ducks in the 2005-06 season. Koivu, 34, had 50 points in 65 games last season and is expected to center fellow Finn Teemu Selanne. The real question might be whether they will be defensibly responsible to Coach Randy Carlyle's satisfaction. Lupul is more of a wild card here, but he has said he wants to be a more complete player this season, and Carlyle knows him from his first season with the Ducks.

3. How will the defensemen spots shake down? A host of players are in the mix to fill the 4-5-6 spots behind Scott Niedermayer, Ryan Whitney and James Wisniewski. Steve Eminger is expected to take one, and 19-year-old Luca Sbisa has to prove he can handle NHL power forwards for the club to give him a shot. Nick Boynton should help fill out the corp, while Steve McCarthy, Sheldon Brookbank and youngsters Brett Festerling, BrianSalcido and Brendan Mikkelson are candidates. The loss of future Hall of Famer Chris Pronger and minutes-eating Francois Beauchemin are tough to absorb, and everyone must shoulder a bigger responsibility this season.

4. Will the checking line get re-established? Former general manager Brian Burke's blueprint of having two scoring lines and a dominant checking ine led the Ducks to the 2007 Stanley Cup, and it has generally held up through last season. The Ducks lost two-thirds of that line in the offseason, though, with center Todd Marchant as the only returner. They need players step forward and embrace that defensive shutdown role if they intend on getting by the Western Conference powers.

5. Much of this latest makeover looks good on paper, but what about the chemistry? The Ducks, stagnant through the first 70 games last season, came together remarkably quickly with an infusion of new players. Can they form an identity with another set of new additions? How do they build off last season? It starts with training camp.

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